COLLEGE SIGNING: OJR's Tordone signs on with Vermont

BUCKTOWN — Nick Tordone’s speed, versatility, and nose for the ball have made him a valuable member of the Owen J. Roberts lacrosse team, and he and the rest of the Wildcats will soon be heading out to the field to try to bring the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship back to Bucktown after a two-year absence.

After that, the OJR senior will take his talents about 400 miles north after signing a National Letter of Intent to continue his education and lacrosse career at the University of Vermont, an NCAA Division I school of 10,000 undergraduate students and a member of the America East Conference. That decision came after considering quite a few colleges, including Rutgers and the U.S. Naval Academy.

“I took a couple road trips with my Dad up and down the East Coast,” said Tordone. “I took a couple visits up there in the winter. I love the atmosphere. It’s a good atmosphere for me. The facilities are really nice.”

And though spending four years in Burlington, in northwestern Vermont less than 50 miles from the border with Quebec, might sound a little too cold for some people, that’s no problem for Tordone.

“I definitely did consider a lot of other schools,” he said. “The geography of the school didn’t really matter that much for me. It was more getting into a school on a scholarship. I used that as a vehicle.

“The mountain ranges are beautiful. The landscape is awesome. It screamed out to me. I do like the snow and I really don’t mind the cold weather that much. I fell in love with the campus. The atmosphere on the team is great. I’m looking forward to playing for Ryan Curtis, the head coach. The middle of my junior year, I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”

Colleges began to show interest in Tordone well over a year ago.

“It all started the beginning of my junior year,” he said. “A lot of schools called in the fall after the Philly Showcase. I got on the All-Star Team there and played pretty well.”

He followed that up with quite a spring for the Wildcats when he racked up 25 goals and 18 assists as a midfielder and attacker, finished second on the team in groundballs, and was named to The Mercury and PAC-10 First Team.

“I was pretty much a groundball hawk all year,” he said. “That’s definitely something I enjoy and part of the fun … getting into scrums and seeing who comes up with the ball. I’ll do anything I can do to help the team win.”

“He can run like a deer,” said OJR head coach Jeff Neese. “He probably could stay on the field for most of the game without coming off. He’s a very good defensive player. He’s quick and he’s got a very good first step.”

But despite having a 2012 season that would thrill most teams – including a 13-1 PAC-10 regular season and appearances in the league championship match and the district playoffs – Tordone and the rest of the Wildcats feel that they have some unfinished business after losing the PAC-10 final to nemesis Spring-Ford in the final seconds and then bowing out in the first round of the District 1 tournament.

“I’m pretty proud of my stats and what we did as a team,” said Tordone. “I’m fully motivated to win the PAC-10 this year … taking the PAC-10 back and going further in the playoffs.”

In fact, Tordone has found a lot of motivation during his lacrosse career.

“I’d like to give special thanks to my family and parents (Joe and Amy Tordone) and brothers (Matt and Joe) and to coach Neese and Tony Volpe, Ben Carville, and coach (Clark) Sage.”

He also gives credit to the HEADstrong Lacrosse Club, part of the HEADstrong Foundation, which creates blood cancer awareness and performs community service.

“I would especially like to thank Mike Colleluori (brother of foundation founder Nick, who died of blood cancer at the age of 21) and Brian Neary (team general manager) and the whole foundation. It’s one of the preeminent organizations on the East Coast and it also gives back to the community.”

And then there’s his involvement with the Kelsey Kramer Foundation, which was established in memory of the OJR student and soccer player who died from injuries suffered in a car accident in the fall of 2011.

“She was a lot of motivation for my last year and will definitely continue to be a source of motivation for a lot of the guys on the team,” said Tordone. “She’s not forgotten, and a motivation for a lot of what I do on the field.”

Next year, Tordone thinks he has a chance to play for the Catamounts right away, which was another reason for his college choice.

“That was a big factor,” he said. “I could have chosen a big-time school like Rutgers. I see an opportunity to even see the field my freshman year. I’m training and looking forward to that. Hopefully, coach Curtis will find a spot for me.”